


Pandora's Box

by AmbroseIscariot



Category: Creepypasta - Fandom
Genre: Eventual Smut, M/M, Multi, Other, slow burn?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:27:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 17,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23732317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmbroseIscariot/pseuds/AmbroseIscariot
Summary: It was a well known fact that if given the chance, ZALGO would kill them all. So when CP's begin disappearing, it is to no one's surprise that ZALGO is behind the disappearances, but why? Jeff finds himself dragged into Slenderman's mess as he realizes that hope was not the only thing left in the box.
Relationships: Laughing Jack/Jeffrey Woods | Jeff The Killer
Comments: 16
Kudos: 62





	1. Bite The Hand

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic on this site, so I can only hope it goes smoothly. Having said that, I apologize in advance for anything that seems weird or any tags that may be missing

Slenderman watched as Hoody and Masky led Candypop and Jason out of his office. They had simply reported to Slenderman that quite a few of the others had suddenly gone missing. The both claimed it had something to do with one of ZALGO’s schemes, but he was not sure how credible the two were. They did often work for the demon despite their demeanors. Toby still stood in his small office as if he were waiting for Slenderman’s orders. His immediate worry were those that he considered dear enough to keep an open space for them. If he went to look for them, it would alert ZALGO that he was aware of his plans, but if he did nothing he potentially risked the others’ disappearances. Hoody and Masky entered his office again and it was then he spoke up.  


_**I want the three of you to find BEN and Eyeless Jack and bring them back here** _

“What about J-Jeff?” Toby asked. 

_**You know as well as I do that he won’t listen to us. But I suppose he is due a fair warning. Find Smile Dog and tell him to go find Jeffery and warn him about ZALGO** _

His proxies nodded and they left his office. He sighed and wondered whether any of the information he was given was true or not. He figured it was better to be safe than sorry. 

Jeff was counting the money he had stolen from the lady he had killed in the park. It was not much, but it was enough to get himself a taco or something at a gas station. He headed in the direction of the gas station, but a growl caught his attention. It came from some trees to his left and he paused as he saw what looked like a dog. He quickly smiled upon seeing the distinctive maw of Smile Dog.  


“I certainly hope you weren’t considering going in there looking like that” Smiled Dog told him.  


“What? Not a fan of business casual?” Jeff asked him.  


“I’m not a particular fan of getting arrested,” Smile Dog told him.  


“Oh please, as if they could catch me. I’ll slit their motherfucking throats before they get so much as a look at me” Jeff laughed.  


Smile Dog rolled his eyes at the killer’s usual dismissive attitude and they continued on toward the gas station.  


“You should at least get yourself cleaned up before going in there” Smile Dog told him.  


Jeff rolled his eyes and tugged off his sweater before flipping it inside out. Smile Dog followed the killer as he headed up to the gas station. He pulled a bandana up to hide his face and he put on some sunglasses that hid his eyes. He looked as if he was about to rob the gas station. Yet, Smile Dog said nothing. Jeff headed inside and he gave a small wave to the cashier, who did not so much as glance at him. Jeff grabbed a couple of tacos and a coffee from the back before he headed to the front. Usually, he’d get some beer or something stronger, but he had passed out in a snowstorm a couple of nights ago and had not entirely regained feeling in his legs This time the cashier stared a bit as he set the items on the counter.  


“Tough night?” the cashier asked.  


“Got into a bit of a fight, but no skin off my nose” the killer told him.  


As the cashier hit the buttons, Jeff’s eyes settled on a couple of dog treats and he smiled internally as he grabbed them. Smile Dog hated being treated like a normal dog, but Jeff knew he secretly liked dog treats. He left the money he had on the counter and told the cashier to keep the change before he left the gas station. He could see the surprise in the dog’s eyes as he exited the gas station. He took the lid off the coffee as he let the dog lead the way to some area that was particularly well lit. Jeff sat down on a bench and Smile Dog took a seat beside him on the bench. Jeff laughed slightly upon seeing the dog struggle to get comfortable.  


“Would you prefer my lap?” Jeff asked him.  


The dog growled and snapped at Jeff, which caused him to laugh, but he nearly spilled the coffee. He managed to save it, but he burned his hand with the coffee.  


“What is it you’re doing so far from your den anyway?” Jeff asked him.  


“I actually came to warn you. Slenderman said that the others have been disappearing” Smile Dog told him.  


“God, and I was in such a good mood before. Who told him?” Jeff asked.  


“You’re not behind this are you?” Smile Dog asked him.  


“Fuck no. Slendy promised to rip my fucking head off if I tried anything against the others. Besides, depending on who it was, I couldn’t have done shit” Jeff told him.  


“Jason and Candypop told him that the others are going missing” Smile Dog told him.  


“And he believed them? Tell Slender that they’re fucking with him. ZALGO wouldn’t let anything about his plan get out if it didn’t benefit him” Jeff told him.  


“How would you know that?” Smile Dog told him.  


“We had a bit of a conversation a couple of weeks ago. Real interesting dude” Jeff told him.  


“I can’t tell if you’re lying or not. What if Slenderman finds out?” Smile Dog asked him.  


“He won’t. And if he does, well then, I’ll know who told him. And to think, I got you these treats out of the kindness of my heart” Jeff told him.  


Smile Dog went silent and Jeff already knew the next question to come out of his mouth.  


“Are they beef?” the dog asked.  


Jeff opened the bag and pulled them out. Smile Dog immediately leaned up and sniffed at the packaged treats causing the killer to hold them out of his reach.  


“Stop screwing around” Smile Dog growled.  


Jeff continued to do so until the dog bit Jeff’s wrist and Jeff dropped the treats into the snow. Smile Dog growled as he leapt off the bench while Jeff glanced at his wrist. There was no sign of a bite and it seemed he had only nipped him.  


“What does that have to do with me anyway?” Jeff told him.  


“He wants all of you to return to the mansion immediately,” Smile Dog told him.  


The killer laughed as he grabbed his coffee and took a sip from it.  


“Sure, and I want to fucking go give Liu a big ass hug and play catch” Jeff laughed.  


“Cub, I think you should head there. If what they said is true-” Smile Dog told him.  


“Then wasn’t it a stupid idea to tell me? What if I did take Lord ZALGO’s offer? Couldn’t I just run and tell him?” Jeff smiled.  


This time Smile Dog really did bite him. Jeff cursed as he dropped the coffee completely this time. He spilled it on his sweater and his jeans. He was quick to leap up in anger.  


“What the fuck?!” Jeff hissed.  


“I hope you’re lying, otherwise-” Smile Dog trailed off.  


“What? You’ll kill me?” Jeff laughed hysterically.  


Jeff’s thoughts drifted to the blade in his pocket and Smile Dog knew the killer was likely weighing his options.  


“You wouldn’t win. I could rip your throat out before you do anything with that stupid little knife of yours” Smile Dog told him.  


“Wanna bet?” Jeff snapped at him.  


The killer may have matured a bit from the time he was sixteen, but four years of wandering alone had done little to hinder the killer’s temperament. Smile Dog fell silent.  


“I only ask that you consider it, cub” Smile Dog told him.  


Jeff fell silent as the dog turned away from him.  


“And stay away from ZALGO, would you?” Smile Dog told him.  


Jeff watched Smile Dog’s retreating form and he growled realizing his clothing was beginning to get cold from the spilled coffee. He sighed and grabbed the bag with the tacos in it. His adrenaline had shot back up because he had been expecting a fight, but the dog usually did not play into a fight like the others. He decided to go get rid of the adrenaline before he got cleaned up. 


	2. Friendly Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trying to title a chapter without a song inspiration is hard anyway hope you enjoy

A couple of days had passed since Smile Dog had bitten Jeff and he had not seen the dog since then. He had wrapped his wrist up with a bandage and it seemed the wound was healing, but that was not what was bothering Jeff. His clothes were a complete mess and he was certain the coffee had permanently stained his sweater. He was hungry, but he was used to the constant feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had tried cannibalism in the past with his victims because if EJ could do it, why couldn’t he? He almost immediately realized that while he enjoyed chasing his victims down, he certainly was no butcher. That’s why he had been staring at what appeared to be a yard sale to raise money for some kids funeral for the past half hour. The blood on his sweater had turned somewhat brown and maroon in some places. The locals tended to ignore him writing him off as nothing more than yet another homeless drifter. The lady that seemed to be in charge of the yard sale had spotted him, but she had yet to try and shoo him away. Jeff had seen her hide the cash box inside some bag and he figured it might be easy for him to grab if he was quick. Jeff glanced around his surroundings and his eyes settled on a rock. The woman had a large glass figurine collection in a china cabinet. It seemed she was selling them for five dollars each. She had an older child there fiddling about with some boxes. Jeff smiled wickedly to himself as he threw the rock with great precision despite his blind left eye. The kid cried out and he stumbled, which caused him to crash into the cabinet that soon fell over on him. It was then Jeff bolted across the street. He quickly searched the boxes for the bag as the woman hurried to get the cabinet off the child. Jeff grabbed the bag and bolted. He heard someone shout after him, but he ignored it as he jumped a nearby fence. A couple of the men at the yard sale had given chase. He deftly leapt over a nearby car, but it was to his luck that he ran into a cop car. He guessed it was simply not his day as the cop exited the car with his gun drawn. He could definitely not afford to be caught there as it would surely mean his arrest and one way ticket to the nearest prison. He ducked behind a trash can as he heard the sound of a taser. He ran following the line of shadow the trash can provided. He could hear sirens behind him and the flashing of the lights became more evident as the cop followed him in his cop car through an alleyway. He took a sharp left and came out in another neighborhood. The cop seemed way too into catching him, which made him wonder exactly how much money had been in the box. Shots rang out behind him and he tripped over his own feet. Bullets continued to whiz by him as he hid behind the corner of a brick house. He heard a commotion come from inside the house and began to realize the severity of what he had started.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck” he cursed.

He did not have long to keep cursing the chase he was now leading police on as he heard barking. He got back to his feet and continued to run. This time he ran out into open traffic and was nearly hit by several cars, but he rolled off the hood and continued to run. He could hear the clicking of the dogs nails and their angry barks as he ran. Some random guys did their best to try and stop them, but Jeff would pull his knife out and it usually was enough to get them to back away. He ducked down another alleyway and came to a wall. He immediately leapt up and his fingers were able to hook onto the edge of the wall before he scrambled up it. He cursed and nearly let go when the dog bit his ankle. The dog refused to let go and Jeff knew he was done for if the cop caught up with him. He kicked at the dog’s head silently cursing the fact the Smile Dog had been correct a couple of days ago when he said his teeth would be in Jeff before the killer could so much as pull his knife. He kicked the dog again and upon seeing that did not work he kicked until the dog let out a loud yelp because its head had hit the brick wall.

“Stop, or you’re gonna get tased,” the cop yelled.

Jeff did his best to heave himself over despite the dog clinging to his leg. When the cop saw he had not stopped, Jeff heard the taser before his muscles seized and he hit the ground with a thud. Jeff cursed as the cop got the dog to release him, but as the cop’s knee pressed down on his back he continued to resist. The cop hit him and he pressed the button on his radio as he called for backup. There was a loud snarl and Jeff felt the weight of the cop fall off him as the man screamed. Fortunately, his walkie talkie was off. Jeff rolled onto his ass as he stared at Smile Dog mauling the man. The man’s dog was quick to try and attack Smile Dog, but Jeff lunged forward with the knife.

“Stupid fucking mutt” Jeff cursed.

Before, Jeff could so much as touch the dog something grabbed him and he cursed upon seeing the black tentacles. Slenderman also grabbed Smile Dog before teleporting them out of the alleyway. Jeff hit the ground again and this time the wind was knocked from his lungs as he landed on the dirt.

“You couldn’t have shown up before the piece of shit tased me?” Jeff gasped.

_**Be glad anyone came to your rescue at all. If it weren’t for Smile Dog I would have let them catch you** _

Jeff growled as he slowly got to his feet. With the adrenaline leaving his system, he could feel his foot throbbing where the stupid police dog had bitten him. The bandage that had been covering the bite Smile Dog had inflicted had come off during the struggle.

“Why is it every time I almost get busted it’s because your overgrown ass has something to do with it?” Jeff snapped at the tall man.

The tentacles exited Slenderman’s body, but Jeff did not stare in fear as he might have when he was younger. He brandished his blade, but the dog was quick to get in the way.

“I appreciate the favor Slender, but as you can tell, Jeff isn’t much better at handling a scolding” Smile Dog told him.

Slenderman took a step back and instead turned his back to Jeff, but the dog turned around and he tackled Jeff to the ground causing Jeff to drop the bag, which spilled its contents into the dirt. Jeff lost count of how many times the dog bit him after the fifth, but the pain was quite numbed out by the tenth bite. Jeff could feel his eyes stinging and he bit his bottom lip to the point of spilling his own blood at the thought of getting attacked by the dog.

“Do you think that garbage was worth nearly getting yourself arrested? Getting all of us exposed? Do you have any idea the risk we took in intervening? Why in the fuck would you do that? In broad daylight” Smile Dog snarled.

Jeff was quick to roll onto his stomach. His vision was blurred and he could feel the sting in his arms from the salty tears.

“C’-C’mon Jeff. You-You’re a fucking pussy” he hissed at himself.

He did this quietly as he stared at the junk that had fallen out of the bag. He had even grabbed the wrong bag. At that moment, he didn’t know what hurt worse. The fact he had gotten the crap bitten out of him or the fact he had done so for nothing.

“Answer me” Smile Dog snarled at him.

Jeff growled angrily as he grabbed the first thing within his reach, which was a box, and he threw it at the dog.

“Leave me the fuck alone” Jeff snarled.

He hated he could not shut his eyes to bat away the tears. He hated what he had done to his own face. He hated his own stupid ass. The box missed because Smile Dog moved out of the way.

“Cub” Smile Dog called.

This time, Jeff’s aim was resolute and he nearly hit Smile Dog with his knife as he threw it in his frustration.

“Leave me alone. I won’t miss again” Jeff snapped.

The dog’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the knife, which had landed between his two front legs. Jeff had turned away from him and he sat staring at the trees, which lined the area. When he turned back, Smile Dog and Slenderman had both gone and he was left staring at the box and knife he had thrown at the dog.


	3. Enjoy The Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeff has a dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _italics: flashback & dream_  
> It's been a hectic day. I hope you all enjoy

**Several Hours Later**

_**Don’t be so hard on yourself. The sooner you realize how difficult Jeffery is, the better** _

“He’s never threatened me before,” Smile Dog told him.

**_Well, it was about time Jeffery showed his true colors. I’m surprised he held out as long as he did with you_ **

“I shouldn’t have bitten him” Smile Dog sighed.

_**Look, right now, is certainly not the time to pick fights with mortals. Jeff needs to be reminded of how delicate our situations are, especially when considering our statuses** _

Before Smile Dog could answer, the door to the tall man’s small office opened and BEN hurried into the room. BEN stopped, but Slenderman beckoned him forward as the sprite set the laptop on the glass table before the tall man. Smile Dog let out a soft snort as he laid his head down on his paws. The cub had started crying while Smile Dog had bitten him. Jeff crying was a rare occurrence, but not one he had never heard before. That was how he had found the cub. Shortly after his fight with Slenderman, Smile Dog had found the killer limping away from the fight. He collapsed and that was when Smile Dog had advanced on him.

_“Kill me if you’re going to do it” Jeff had breathed._

_Smile Dog merely snorted and he sat down atop the killer, who gave a quiet groan of pain._

_“Pathetic, human. You’re rather stupid for the supposed apex predator that humans describe themselves as” Smile Dog told him._

_“Get the fuck off me” Jeff snarled._

_He managed to arch his back and throw the dog off him. Smile Dog growled and bolted forward and his teeth sank into Jeff’s throat. The killer went silent, but only for a moment._

_“Fuckin’ do it” Jeff snapped._

_Smile Dog let go of the killer then and he paused upon seeing tears in the male’s eyes._

_“You talk a lot of shit for a cub” Smile Dog mentioned._

Smile Dog was torn out of his musings by Slenderman, who turned the computer toward him. The dog felt his eyes widen upon seeing a box that he recognized from earlier. Jeff’s tear filled eyes had blurred his vision and kept him from hitting his intended target with the damned thing.

**_Find Hoody, Masky, and Toby and get them to start searching for it_ **

“There’s no need. Jeff has the box” Smile Dog growled.

**_What do you mean Jeff has it? Do you have any idea what could happen if Jeff gives the damn thing to ZALGO_ **

“Jeff doesn’t know what he has. He threw it at me when I bit him” Smile Dog told him.

“Um, Slender, I think ZALGO already knows what he’s looking for. Laughing Jack, the thing in the box, is somehow related to Candypop. Candypop knows” BEN told him.

**_So, ZALGO already knows. Crap, we need to find Jeff before the others_ **

“Well, I mean, unless Jeff tells ZALGO then we should be fine, right? Jeff has no reason to seek out ZALGO” BEN told them.

Smile Dog’s eyes widened as he remembered his argument with Jeff about the demon. Slenderman stared at Smile Dog, who had gone entirely quiet.

**_What else could I have possibly expected from that delinquent? BEN, get the others and find Jeff, I don’t care how you find him, the box has to be recovered or destroyed at all costs_ **

“No, look, we know where to find him. If we go I’m sure we can come to an understanding of some sort” Smile Dog told him.

**_Yes, I’m sure after his punishment Jeffery will feel rather friendly. He might even give you a hug and thank you for disciplining him_ **

“I don’t appreciate your tone” Smile Dog growled at him.

**_I don’t particularly appreciate your defense of Jeffery, especially when our very existence hinges on the decisions the man makes, he’s not a kid anymore_ **

“Then he should be approached as a man,” Smile Dog answered.

**Meanwhile**

Jeff growled angrily as he threw the lighter he had into some bushes and then cursed even louder upon realizing he had lost it. He glanced down at his hands and frowned at the bite marks as his chest got tight and his eyes stung as he wobbled before he fell on his ass and stared up at the sky, glad that the moon seemed to be doing the work that a fire would have accomplished. That was why he had even bothered to take the bag with him in the first place. He figured it might have been useful as kindling. He cursed and his fist clenched around the knife as he briefly considered turning it on himself.

“I’ll fucking give myself something to cry about” Jeff growled.

Instead, he tossed the knife into a nearby tree and allowed himself to collapse backward onto the dirt. He had fucked up royally. He couldn’t even go rob a liquor store because he was certain the police would immediately respond considering they likely had his description now. His clothes certainly did not make matters any better, especially now that they had holes from where the dog’s teeth. He trailed off mentally again as his fist came down in the dirt causing an ache to thoroughly resound up the entirety of his arm. Instead he grabbed the sack and did his best to position it in a way that might resemble a pillow. Unfortunately, the box was hard enough that it became a noticeable nuisance. He dumped out the contents of the bag again as he laid the bag down on top of a rock, hoping that it would add some cushion to his “pillow.” His gaze settled on the contents of the bag, which were now fully displayed before him. He covered his face with his forearm before he began to drift into unconsciousness.

_The male walked about the carnival without saying much. The dread he was feeling was already quite palpable and the eerie carnival music only seemed to make his pulse faster. It was the first look he had at his savior and unwilling victim. He was wearing a white hoodie and was rather tall, which made him hesitant for only a moment. He was human. What did it matter if he was not the age of his usual victims. He would easily fall prey. He was headed toward the tent, but he already knew that, which was why he was following him so closely. The male was hesitant to enter the tent and he could not blame him. The inside was dark, far too dark for the eyes of a human to be able to see past the shadows. He would have to give him an encouraging nudge. He shoved the male, who called out as he fell forward through the flaps of the circus tent. Laughing Jack smiled as the tent was suddenly illuminated. The inside was not devoid of color as the exterior, which he felt calmed the male’s pulse a bit, but it quickly sped up when he saw the monochrome clown._

_“Hey there, Jeffy. Would you like to play a game?” LJ asked him._

_The male stared at him and LJ waved his hand and a table with a few cups appeared in front of him. A ball also appeared in the clown’s hands._

_“Who the hell are you-” Jeff asked him._

_“Ah, ah, if you want to ask questions you have to play the game” Laughing Jack told him._

_Jeff watched from a distance as he hid the ball underneath the middle cup. LJ had more than a couple of tricks up his sleeve as he made sure that no matter what cup he chose it’d be correct. He moved the cups around quickly and he could have sworn he heard the male curse so he slowed his hands down._ “Choose” LJ told him.

_Jeff pointed to the cup to LJ’s right and he picked it up. Oddly enough, he had chosen correctly without needing the assistance LJ offered._

_“Ask away, baby boy” LJ told him._

_“Who the hell are you?” Jeff asked him._

_“You’ve got a bit of a one track mind don’t you, Jeffy. My name’s Laughing Jack and I’m going to be your best friend for awhile” LJ told him._

_“Where the hell am I?” Jeff asked._

_“You really need to be patient. I’m sure you know the game by now” LJ smiled._

_Jeff moved forward a bit, which encouraged the clown as he held up the ball and he got a better look at the male. He was far different from the others as his features became cleared to the clown. While most people would immediately notice the smile permanently etched into the male’s face, LJ first noticed the killer’s eyes. They were a deep blue that momentarily made him pause before he began to move the cups around. He chose correctly yet again._

_“Where am I?” Jeff asked him._

_“Why you’re at my carnival and boy am I happy to see you. It can get pretty lonely around here. I haven’t had a visitor in forever” Laughing Jack told him._

_The clown was not lying about that. He had killed the brat and had lost complete and utter track of time. He had been in the box for so long he had broken his own claws in his desperation. The first couple of weeks were always the hardest with him mutilating himself in an effort to maintain his sanity or what remained of it. Jeff’s eyes settled on the cups and as he tried to focus on the cups but he ended up staring at the clown’s hands. He noticed the fingers were jagged and appeared to have been broken._

_“What happened to your hands?” Jeff asked him._

_LJ froze momentarily before his hands moved even faster to hide them. LJ cursed himself internally. The male could see his claws were broken. It wasn’t like LJ had gone through any trouble to obscure them so he should have seen the question coming. This time he did nothing to reprimand Jeff. The male chose the middle cup and while he was correct, LJ already knew what question was coming so the ball disappeared as he lifted the cup._

_“You lose, Jeffy” the clown smiled._

_Jeff felt dread grow in the pit of his stomach as the room went entirely dark and all that remained was the silver glow of the clown’s eyes. They soon disappeared and his eyes strained against the darkness._


	4. All The Right Moves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeff and LJ play chess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a little late, but 'tis finals week  
> italics = dream this week

LJ stared at the opposite side of the box. It would not be a few more hours until he was able to stretch out in the carnival. He had spent the past couple of nights trying to lull the man into a false sense of security so that he could convince him to free him. It seemed Jeff’s favorite question was asking him what he wanted. What LJ wanted was to be free, but if he began to push his freedom on Jeff, the male might decide that there was likely an ulterior motive if he wanted his freedom so badly. No, instead LJ was forced to play dumb for the moment being although it was getting frustrated. Children tended to remember him after a couple of “play date,” but it seemed his slate was rubbed clean almost everyday. The most Jeff remembered was playing a game and that was beginning to severely hinder LJ’s patience. He had begun to question what it was he’d do to Jeff. The killer was older than those he usually murdered, but he was scrawny enough that he could easily snap the male’s neck. He figured that if Jeff freed him the least LJ could do was give him a quick death. Maybe not painless, but certainly quick. Or maybe he’d play with him a bit like with the other children. The only adult he had ever played with was Isaac, but that had been a long time ago. He was pulled from his thoughts as he realized that Jeff had finally fallen asleep. He was able to manifest his carnival in the male’s mind and he smiled as he stretched out his limbs. He had to admit to himself he was a lot more careful with the killer than with the children. They were all oblivious to the malice in his eyes whenever he looked at them, but Jeff always seemed well aware of the danger the clown posed.

_As usual, LJ found Jeff wandering the carnival and he would watch him closely before leading him to the tent. Over the past couple of nights, Jeff had wandered a lot more of the carnival, but he always got the souls of the children to spook him toward the tent. He was fairly certain Jeff remembered the tent by the third night. LJ had lost track of how many days had gone by once again. While initially he had been unable to keep track of the days, it became a nasty habit that he could not kick. He could have a calendar and blatantly tell someone an entire year had gone by when in actuality only a week had passed. This time as he appeared before the killer he was surprised by what he saw. During their first encounter, his eyes had immediately noticed the teeth marks in the killer’s hoodie, but the claw marks he saw in the killer now made him pay particular attention. Jeff seemed a lot worse for wear than usual._

__

__

_“What’s wrong, Jeffy? You got into a scrap?” LJ asked him._

_Jeff was hesitant to answer him, but LJ was sure he could cajole the male into releasing some details. He snapped his fingers and this time a table appeared between them. Jeff eyed it warily as a light illuminated the room and it was then LJ got a closer look at the wounds on the man. While LJ normally did not look at Jeff’s face, this time his eyes were immediately searching his face. It seemed a couple of the gashes had reopened along his cheeks and there was some blood that was staining the lower portion of his jaw. His eyes were a bit hazy and unfocused and LJ could not say he enjoyed seeing that in the killer’s gaze. That was no good for someone in their business._

_“We’ll play an easy game today, alright Jeffy?” LJ told him._

_The killer nodded and LJ snapped his fingers._

_“Crap” Jeff cursed._

_A chair had appeared behind him and knocked him off balance. He landed somewhat awkwardly on the chair with what LJ initially thought was an angry hiss. Upon looking up, he realized it had been a hiss of pain as Jeff’s eyes had gotten unusually teary. LJ remembered the last time the killer had cried had been over what the mutt had told him. Over the past couple of visits they had transitioned to playing Checkers, but that was too simple for what he had in mind. Instead a chess set appeared between them. The killer stared at the black and white pieces and LJ was quick to give him the white pieces._

_“You know how to play, Jeffy?” LJ asked him._

_The killer nodded and LJ smiled._

_“What if we make it a bit more interesting, hmm. What do you say, Jeffy” LJ asked him._

_“Interesting how?” Jeff asked._

_LJ heard the caution in the killer’s words._

_“For every piece that gets taken, the other gets a question” LJ told him._

_Jeff seemed to perk up at the idea of asking him questions so LJ knew the killer would not say no. LJ had the advantage that he could very easily influence the outcome and the dream. Jeff made the first move and it did not take very long for LJ to get the first piece. Jeff seemed surprised when he did that so he asked a very simple question._

_“What color are your eyes?” LJ asked him._

_Jeff seemed equally taken aback at the simple question._

_“Blue” he answered._

_LJ only nodded and they continued to play. This time Jeff’s eyes were seemingly searching the board and LJ smiled because the glassy look was gone and he seemed a bit more focused. The next piece was taken rather easily by LJ._

_“Did you get in a fight?” LJ asked him._

_“Yeah” Jeff answered._

_Jeff made his next move, but LJ easily countered it and took another piece._

_“Who did you fight with?” LJ asked him._

_“Candypop and Jason” Jeff told him._

_The clown paused at that and the smile that had been on his face disappeared. Jeff noticed that, but he also took the chance to take one of LJ’s pawns._

_“Do you know them?” Jeff asked him._

_LJ glanced at the killer’s side of the board and noticed he had in fact taken one of his pieces. The clown sighed before glancing back at the board._

_“Candypop” LJ told him._

_LJ could see the male now seemed more interested in the game than before so he quickly took another piece._

_“Why did they attack you?” LJ asked him._

_“They said to hand over the box and I told them I didn’t have it, so they came at me” Jeff told him._

_LJ frowned now a lot more pensive than before. Candypop was searching for his box. The idiot should have done that well before LJ had fallen into the hands of Jeff. The moron should have freed him in the first place. Jeff took yet another pawn._

_“Why do you know Candypop” Jeff asked him._

_“He was a friend of mine that I knew a long time ago” LJ told him._

_The clown quickly took another piece._

_“What has Candypop been up to?” LJ asked him._

_“I don’t know. Usually ZALGO has them doing shit so I guess he has them after the box now” Jeff told him._

_Jeff made a move and LJ made his move quicker than usual. Jeff stared at him for a few moments after his hands had moved the piece and taken his rook rather easily._

_“So, he’s been working with ZALGO?” LJ asked him._

_“Yeah” Jeff nodded._

_“Great” LJ smiled at Jeff._

_LJ knew now what the first thing he’d do when he got out of the box now was. He paused though uncertain of why they were after his box at ZALGO’s orders. The light that illuminated the tent suddenly flickered and LJ frowned. It seemed he had lost track of time. Again. He frowned as the light flickered again. Jeff suddenly took another piece and LJ realized he was getting far too distracted._

_“What do you want with me?” Jeff asked him._

_LJ could swear Jeff had a one track mind. He could forget everything from their encounters yet that question persisted, but he had an answer for once. He would have to spell this out a way that the killer would remember it. He snapped his fingers and the table disappeared from between them as he bent over the killer. Jeff sank back into the couch as the light completely went out and the foreboding shadow of the clown loomed over him. Silver eyes glowed in the darkness as a clawed hand suddenly gripped his chin. Jeff swallowed as the clown made him look right at him. LJ turned the killer’s head slightly as he moved to whisper into Jeff’s ear. Jeff shuddered upon feeling the clown’s lips brush against his ear._

_“Protect the box, Jeffy” LJ whispered to him._


	5. Nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a little late this week again, whoops. Congratulations to anyone celebrating a graduation this year

There had been no sign of the killer despite there being concrete evidence that Candypop and Jason had indeed gotten into a fight with him. They had lost him in the confusion it seemed. Smile Dog was growing nervous. Jeff was alone with quite possibly the key to their destruction and they had no idea where he had gotten off too. It was clear that he had not handed over the box to ZALGO because the demon was after him, but Jeff would be no match for the demon were he to be found. It was that which made him even more desperate to catch the cub’s scent. It seemed Jeff was always a step ahead of him, but he knew he was going in the right direction as the scent he had managed to pick up was fresh. Slenderman was doing his best to stay on top of ZALGO’s knowledge of the killer’s location in an effort to keep the demon from attacking the man. He heard the rustling of bushes and was quick to glare in their direction. He watched as the jester came out of the bushes. Candypop’s magenta eyes were on him and as he backed up to bolt he was grabbed by the scruff of his neck before his face was shoved into the first roughly. He felt pain run through his snout, but did not relent as ZALGO’s claws were around his throat.

“You seem to have an idea of where the brat is hiding” ZALGO growled in his ear.

**Meanwhile**

Jeff had settled down for the night in a fallen log. It seemed to have belonged to a ridiculously large tree, but termites seemingly hollowed out the log and created an ample enough space for Jeff to hide within. He was hugging the bag to his chest as he did his best to get comfortable in the log.

_Protect the box._

This was the first time he remembered any specific words from his dream. It was not often he remembered his dreams, but the voice had felt almost as if it was right beside him. He had sobered up quickly that morning as he had looked around the clearing half expecting someone to be there. Jeff knew he had been having that same dream for the past week, but he could not remember very many details. He remembered playing a game and feeling nervous but not much else. He figured this had something to do with the fight he had narrowly escaped. He had refused to hand over the box. He had gotten hit quite a few times by Jason, but had been able to escape after Candypop set off a smokescreen from Jason’s toys. If it wasn’t for that, he was certain that the box would have fallen into their hands. He had learned from experience that if someone was hellbent on getting something, it was never for a good reason. He had wondered if he should seek out Smile Dog for help, but he remembered their argument and instead hugged the bag a bit tighter. He was certain he could handle it alone. All he had to do was avoid the idiots that followed ZALGO and he would be fine. That was as long as the demon did not decide to come for him personally. He shuddered at the thought. The demon could easily kill him. His own mortality was something he often contemplated, but all contemplation would end upon his meeting the demon. That meant he could not stay in one place for long. Otherwise, he would risk the demon or his followers finding him. It was nights like these that he often wondered how much simpler his life might have been if he apologized or if he hadn’t killed his parents. Liu and Sully wouldn’t be trying to kill him either. He rolled onto his side as he had sabotaged his own mood. He had been reduced to sleeping in fucking trees and scrounging for leftovers and whatever small amounts of money he could. He yawned as he decided to try and get some rest before dawn.

**Elsewhere**

Laughing Jack was not normally one to kick a man when he was down, but he knew what the killer wanted and it was the same emotion that was echoed by many of his victims. Jeff wanted a friend. The box around him disappeared as Jeff’s thoughts went silent.

_Laughing Jack immediately was able to tell something was wrong. Candypop was a lot closer to their location and there was an energy that Laughing Jack didn’t particularly recognize, but was able to notice was far darker than his own. The edges of his carnival were beginning to be met by the darkness of whatever was approaching them. LJ clenched his fist as he realized it was ZALGO’s energy. Tendrils of black shadow were reaching across into his territory and LJ was quick to snap his fingers and send them recoiling. He heard a nearby shout and a thud and he cursed remembering Jeff. He shot in the direction of the shadows and was glad to see the souls of the children had come forward to shoo the shadowy tendrils away. LJ snapped his fingers and the souls were quick to chase the tendrils. Jeff scrambled to his feet and he glared at the shadows that seemed to hide in the crevices of the carnival. Whether the clown noticed or not seemed to be the least of his worries at the moment. He was staring off into the distance where the shadows seemed to be consuming the carnival. The entire carnival flickered around them for a moment and the clown turned on his heels._

__

_“What the hell were those?” Jeff asked him._

__

_“I think we both know, Jeffy. It’s ZALGO” LJ growled._

__

_The killer went silent and LJ stared at him. Jeff suddenly cursed and he punched one of the nearby stalls._

__

_“Fuck” he growled._

__

_“It’s fine. He can’t touch either of us here” LJ reassured him._

__

_“My body’s not in here, Jack” Jeff snapped at him._

__

_The carnival shook again and flickered. LJ’s hand automatically shot out to hold onto one of the stalls while Jeff struggled to stay upright. LJ rolled his eyes as he wrapped an arm around the killer to keep him from toppling over. Jeff felt his face turn pink, but the clown did not seem too concerned about that. This time the entirety of the carnival disappeared from around them, but LJ found himself anchored in place by the killer’s arms, which had suddenly wrapped around his own arm._

__

_“Jeff, you’re going to wake up” LJ warned him._

__

_“I can’t. I can’t fight ZALGO” Jeff growled._

__

_When he was younger, it would have killed him to admit that to anyone, but they were in a dream. And he wasn’t a child anymore. He needed help. He wasn’t strong enough to even glance at ZALGO. LJ being ever the opportunist smiled wickedly. Jeff could not see the toothy smile the clown was sporting or surely he’d be suspicious._

__

_“Look, Jeffy, I’ll help you if you help me. I’m sure you’d like to be free of ZALGO and fortunately for you, I can more than handle whatever he has to throw” LJ told him._

__

_LJ’s clawed hand grasped his chin softly with only enough pressure for Jeff to tilt his head back against the clown’s chest. He peered up into silver eyes. LJ had managed to conceal the manic grin that had illuminated his features as he did this. Jeff suddenly pulled away, but his hand continued to hold onto the clown’s sleeve. He stared at the clown in what Laughing Jack recognized was suspicion._

__

_“What do you want?” Jeff asked him._

__

_“That’s the spirit, Jeffy. I only need one tiny thing from you” LJ told him._

__

_The clown leaned down until the tip of his nose was nearly touching Jeff’s own._

__

_“Let me out” LJ smiled._

Jeff cursed as he was abruptly woken up and he felt the log suddenly get thrown. He flattened himself against one end and unfortunately for Jeff he cried out as he hit a tree. His vision blurred as the log broke around him and he fell to the ground. He scrambled to grab the bag from the ground. His knife had cut his stomach, but he ignored that pain in favor of getting to his feet quickly. He was staring directly at ZALGO. The demon stood with Candypop and Jason on either side of him. Jeff could only assume there were reinforcements in the woods as well. His fist clenched the bag tightly. He was supposed to remember something important this time.


	6. Nightmare Pt. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated: fixed a couple of typos although now i think there are probably more. Be safe out there

Jeff was silent as he stared at the demon before him. He gritted his teeth as he felt himself suddenly gripped by thoughts of his own mortality. He was uncertain what to do as the situation was now before him. He was normally quick on his feet, but he was certain Candypop and Jason would move to immediately apprehend him. His fingers unconsciously gripped onto the bag as if his life depended on it. He cursed himself internally as the only reason the demon had yet to attack him was because he did not want to damage the box.

“Hand the box over, Jeffery” ZALGO growled at him.

Jeff shuddered upon hearing his name leave the demon’s mouth. Or rather mouths as they seemingly spoke in unison. He backed up, but immediately bumped into what he hoped was a tree. It seemed luck was in his favor as he felt the roughness of the bark against the back of his neck. This felt like deja vu somehow as he pushed back into the tree. He was supposed to remember something important. Candypop and Jason both took steps forward, but ZALGO held a hand up as he took a step forward instead. Jeff’s instincts were kicking in and telling him to run, but he found himself glued to his spot. If he ran he was certain the demon would make it painful.

“I’m feeling rather generous tonight, so hand the box over and I might let the two of you live” ZALGO growled at him.

“Two?” Jeff stammered.

“Of course, how is it that you think I found you” ZALGO growled at him.

ZALGO held up his right hand and it was then Jeff saw that he was holding Smile Dog by the scruff of his neck. There appeared to be dark stains on his fur that Jeff could already only assume was blood.

“How about a trade? The mutt for the box?” ZALGO told him.

“Don’t do it” Smile Dog growled.

There was a choked gurgling noise as the demon’s clawed hand wrapped around the dog’s throat. Jeff growled. The stupid box had gotten them into the mess, he figured it would get them out. The demon watched with mild interest as Jeff shoved his hand into the bag and it fell to the ground as he grabbed the box.

“Cub-” Smile Dog managed.

Jeff heard the crunch that time as ZALGO’s fist closed.

“You want what’s inside the box so bad you can have it” Jeff growled.

**_JEFFERY DON’T_ **

Jeff began to spin the handle as quickly as he could. Pop goes the weasel played through the forest and Jeff cursed when the demon dropped the dog. Jeff glared at the box as he tossed it to the ground. The demon suddenly pinned him to the tree. Blood was dripping down his arms as the demon’s claws had pinned him to the tree. It seemed nothing had happened at first glance, but they heard an angry growl and all eyes turned on the darkness upon a large figure currently strangling Candypop.

Laughing Jack had not been lying when he said he knew the first order of business he was to settle upon escaping the box. Candypop’s magenta eyes had widened impossibly wide as the clown’s clawed hands had wrapped around his throat.

“Poppy, I can’t begin to explain to you, how disappointed I am in you as my servant” Laughing Jack growled.

“J-Jac-ahk” Candypop stammered.

His claws sank into the relatively soft skin of Candypop’s neck and he smiled as magenta blood spilled down his claws while also staining the white bandages that covered his hands. Candypop’s mallet had fallen uselessly to the ground and the demon snarled angrily as he turned on LJ. Claws easily tore through fabric and Laughing Jack spun on his feet as he threw Candypop into the demon. The demon dodged the jester’s body and Candypop slammed into a tree. ZALGo growled as his claws had been broken and left Jeff pinned to the tree. They grew back almost immediately as ZALGO moved to hit the clown, but Laughing Jack teleported past the demon and his foot settled on the jester’s chest.

“A fucking human did your job a lot faster than you. You’re a fucking joke that I no longer find funny” LJ snapped at him.

Jeff’s gaze was no longer on the monochrome clown, but everyone else’s attention was turned toward the clown. Jeff thrust all his weight forward and he managed to free his shoulder whilst biting his bottom lip to stifle any noises. He tasted iron as he bit even harder at the sharp pain that went through his arm as he tore the other broken claw from his left shoulder. He was about to move forward to Smile Dog’s side, but Slenderman suddenly hit him. He glared up at the tall man that suddenly grabbed him.

_**I warned him that you would be his death. Now look at what you’ve done. You’ve not only killed him, you’ve doomed us all.** _

The tentacles wrapped around Jeff’s throat and he gasped and spluttered as he dropped the knife to grab at the tendril that had wrapped around his throat. It tightened and Jeff heard a low growl.

“Let him go” Smile Dog growled at the tall man.

_**You’ve been far too lenient on him. He’s no longer a child and has proven himself capable of decent thought. He is aware there would be consequences** _

The tendril tightened and Jeff began to flail wildly. He was beginning to get tunnel vision, but when he thought he was going to pass out, but he had dropped his knife. He managed to force the tendril up over his mouth and he did the only thing he could think of at the moment. He bit down into the appendage as hard as he could. He vaguely remembered doing something similar the first time he fought the tall man. He hit the ground and frowned as the bitter taste of the fluid that had escaped the tendril upon his biting it. The tall man screeched and Jeff cursed as he had to leap out of the way. A tendril grabbed him from the ankle and sent him flying into the tree he had crashed into earlier. The wind was knocked out of him and he wheezed as he rolled to the ground. He could swear the tall man had likely broken a couple of his ribs as he was now struggling to catch his breath. The tall man grabbed him and Jeff scrambled to grab onto anything that he could. He managed to get a hold of the claws he had torn from his arms and he jammed it into the tentacles this time. This time the tendril recoiled and Jeff was sent hurtling toward the ground. He stuck his arms out and cried out in pain as his vision momentarily went entirely dark. There was a sickening crunch and Jeff found this pain to be unbearable as he gasped and cursed. The pain rendered him immobile for a second. He had broken limbs before, but the sudden impact combined with the harsh speed made for an extraordinary pain shooting down his arm. He was entirely disoriented now and could not recall exactly where he had dropped his knife. His eyes settled on the box that the clown had been in and he swallowed. He tasted iron and realized he had bitten his tongue on the way down.

As Slenderman approached Jeff’s body on the ground, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw no one, but upon turning around to face Jeff, Laughing Jack stood before him. Candypop’s mallet was in his hands and it was dripping a crimson color. There was a loud thud that could be heard as Laughing Jack managed to hit the tall man with the mallet. He heard a roar behind him and he bent down to throw the injured killer over his left shoulder. He turned on his heels completely ignoring Smile Dog, who had managed to drag himself over to where the Slenderman had collapsed from the blow. LJ bent down and grabbed his box before walking over to the dog. Smile Dog's ear flattened against his head as his hackles raised and he bared his teeth. LJ bent down and he easily shoved the dog aside as he swiped the knife from the ground. Smile Dog realized that Jeff, who LJ had picked up almost as if he weighed nothing, was almost entirely limp where LJ had placed him.

“Wait, what are you going to do with-” Smile Dog trailed off.

Laughing Jack had teleported away without so much as a word or a second glance at the dog.


	7. The Show Goes On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Initially, I had gone on a hiatus cuz the world got crazy and out of respect, but then I got sick too :( . Anyway, I'm hoping to be back on schedule going forward so finger's crossed.

LJ had not particularly been planning on taking the killer with him, but he had interfered because he himself was still not sure what he was going to do with the male. If he chose to kill Jeff, then it would be hard to do so if the tall man had gotten to him first. LJ was quick to summon his carnival and he had hurried into the small realm he was able to create for himself. The souls of the children followed him, curious about the man that LJ currently had slumped over his shoulder. He had never before taken the soul of someone quite as old as Jeff.

The souls of the children themselves were typically all younger than twelve with the eldest having been a few days away from their twelfth birthday. He arrived at the wagon he called home whenever he was not away on business. The souls of the children did not dare intrude upon the clown’s personal space. The clown normally did not take his victims into the wagon, but he had still not figured out whether that was what he considered the male.

He settled Jeff on the couch he kept in the wagon before he slipped into a smaller room where he normally made candy. He wondered briefly if the tall man had not managed to completely strangle the killer, but a quick glance back at the couch showed that the killer was breathing. He grabbed a clean roll of bandages and a spool of thread with a needle buried in it. The souls of the children were peering in through the small windows of the wagon, but with a snap of his fingers the curtains were closed and the oil lamps illuminated the small space. Three wounds were immediately visible on the killer. The two in his shoulders from the demon’s claws and the one in his stomach that LJ did not know how it was inflicted.

He carefully removed the bits of Jeff’s sweater that had been dragged into the wound by the claws and the killer whined slightly. He then was careful to tug the sweater up Jeff torso before completely removing it and casting it aside. It was then he got a better look at the killer’s shoulders. He moved the killer to see if the claws had gone completely through his shoulders and he frowned when he saw the couch was getting stained by the blood.

While there was an entrance wound and an exit wound, it appeared that the damage between the entry and the exit point were fixing themselves. He stared at it in confusion momentarily before concluding that he would not immediately kill the man. He glanced at the killer’s neck and noticed that the hoodie had been obscuring the bruise that the tall man’s tentacles had left behind after strangling Jeff. His bottom lip had also swollen a bit and it appeared to be bruised. It seemed the killer had nearly bitten through it. He also noticed a black fluid that had stained the killer's chin a dark gray that turned nearly black the closer it got to his lips.

The black wife beater Jeff had been wearing beneath the sweater was also torn and he got a better look at the wound along Jeff's stomach. The wound appeared a lot cleaner than the ones in his shoulders. LJ picked up the nearby knife and a glint of crimson showed exactly what had inflicted the wound. He soon tossed the wife beater aside along with the sweater and continued his search for wounds. The killer let out a pained groan as LJ poked around his body and while the wound was not visible, LJ guessed the killer was going to end up with an internal bruise. He began to stitch up the wounds in Jeff’s shoulders and he then bandaged them to keep the killer from pawing at the stitches. He had not had much experience putting bodies back together so much as he was a professional at pulling them apart. He was certain that with his knowledge of internal organs he would be able to at least stitch close a wound. The wound on Jeff’s stomach was shallow enough that he simply wrapped a bandage around it and hoped the bruises were enough to keep the male from moving. He himself had suffered a bit of damage at the hands of the demon, but it was particularly easy to fix himself up with the needle.

Jeff remembered coming to consciousness and he stared at a large figure standing by what appeared to be a small fire. His brain was struggling to accurately inform him of what he was seeing. He shifted and gave a slight gasp as the adrenaline had long since left his body. Silver eyes were suddenly on him and Jeff held his breath. He felt as if he had stumbled upon a horror movie. Long fingers that had been holding something like a thread reached for Jeff and the killer visibly flinched as the mime’s fingers managed to rake through his hair.

“Go to sleep” the male whispered.

Jeff went silent, but he continued to stare at the mime, who was now once again holding the string. He was not thinking about sleep as he had seconds ago been fed his own line. He hated to be the person to actually follow that order although he guessed it had never been to anyone’s benefit whether or not they obeyed. He would kill them regardless. That left him even more conscious as he began to examine his surroundings. The entire room was dimly lit and the room itself seemed closer to a jail cell in size than any room he had even been in. The brightest thing in the room was the mime’s eyes. His eyes strained in the darkness to get a better glimpse at what the larger figure was, but he caught him staring and Jeff glanced away. The larger figure moved and seemingly left the room. The male stepped back into the room and Jeff found something sweet shoved into his mouth. It took him a couple of seconds to discern the cherry flavor of the lollipop, which soothed him as his brain had been unable to correctly discern anything else about this particular situation. It also cleared up the bitter taste of the tall man's blood. The mime suddenly sat down beside Jeff on the couch and he removed the lollipop. Jeff suddenly realized his limbs felt like lead as the clown cradled him almost like a baby.

“If you sleep now, we’ll play a game later and you can ask all the questions you want” LJ told him.

“J-Jack?” Jeff asked weakly.

The clown smiled at him and he settled him back onto the couch and Jeff felt tired. The mime had drugged him.

“F-Fuck you” Jeff growled.

He tried to take a swing at the clown, but LJ had backed away easily and Jeff almost fell off the couch. LJ suddenly shoved Jeff back and he hit the killer’s wounded shoulder with enough force to make his vision go dark as his body decided the pain was not worth being awake. 

LJ saw the killer’s eyes had gone blank so he settled the killer against the few pillows that belonged to the couch. He needed the killer to remain cooperative, which meant he’d likely have to keep the killer sedated. He was confident the killer would be unable to escape the carnival, but he was worried the killer might leave the wagon and get himself into some trouble with the souls of the children. Jeff was well above the age that the souls usually were used against, but harmless curiosity could quickly evolve into something else. He grabbed the lollipop and popped it in his own mouth before he went back to the room beside the small living room. His newest batch of candy was cooling off and LJ had decided to go out and have a bit of fun.

**Meanwhile**

Smile Dog had managed to drag Slenderman away before ZALGO could search for them. They were a good distance away from where they had encountered the demon before Slenderman finally woke up. The tall man’s head seemingly glanced around the area they were in.

“Don’t worry. I can’t catch a whiff of the bastard from here. Can’t really smell anything” Smile Dog told him.

Slenderman glanced at the dog then, who had a large gash down his nose.

_Did you see where they went?_

“No, the clown can teleport. He took the cub with him” Smile Dog told him.

_And you still think he’s got nothing to do with it?_

“He wasn’t moving” Smile Dog told him.

Slenderman said nothing at that, but his head was directed toward the ground.

_Whatever the case, we have a much larger problem now. We can debate Jeffery’s status later_


	8. Circles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An actual update, yay! Anyway, you guys can find me on tumblr under the same name. I sometimes post fanart and update notes there

Jeff did not wake up again until a few hours later. He was surprised to have woken up at all, especially after the clown had drugged him. He glanced around cautiously, just in case he had to feign sleep, but did not see the clown anywhere. He sat up and glanced around the room he was in. It was dark, but he could make out what looked like another couch across from him. Sure enough, he felt a plush cushion and he noticed that the dim light in the room was coming from a lamp. He went to it and noticed a small knob on the side. He turned it and the room got darker so he turned it in the opposite direction. The room was illuminated brightly and he got a better look at the decor, which was mostly done in black. The couch itself was a black material, which was extremely soft to the touch. He glanced around and realized his sweater was folded neatly on a counter beside the couch where he had been asleep. He hurried to tug it on and noticed that the knife was right beside it. He was not usually so lucky so he made sure to keep an eye on the door he assumed was an exit. There was a door closer to the back and he remembered seeing the clown go into that room. He decided it was best to avoid it. Especially considering the clown could potentially still be there. From Slenderman’s threat to kill him, Jeff could only assume he was dangerous. He headed toward the door and he opened it. Outside, he froze, completely confused as he stared outside. The color scheme did not appear to change despite the carnival outside. It was as if he was watching one of those old black and white movies. He glanced at his own hands, which he quickly decided was futile because he himself was stark white anyway. His hair was the only contrasting color and it was black, which was one of the only colors visible here anyway. He had the vague feeling he had been here before though, so he decided it was better to try and find a way out than to wait for the clown to find he was gone. He walked a short distance away and found that he felt as if someone or something was watching him. He stopped and took the chance to look around the mostly decrepit carnival. Spiderwebs seemed to prevail here and so did the color gray, which was beginning to screw with his brain. It seemed it was a long way to go before he reached the entrance of the carnival and a glance behind him revealed a large circus tent, also in black and white, looming in the distance. He began to walk again as he decided the quicker he left the better. It was as he walked that he realized it was almost as if he were on a treadmill because it did not appear he was making any progress forward. He cursed as he broke out into a sprint, but slowed down after seeing he was still making no progress.

“Fucking shit” he yelled.

He heard something move behind him and he quickly turned on his heels only to see nothing. He pulled his knife from his pocket and decided to keep that in hand. He sat down instead and glared at his surroundings. So the clown was some sort of demon. Or at least that’s what Jeff thought. The only person he knew to be able to toy so easily with other people's minds was ZALGO. Well, him and Slenderman, but compared to the tall man, ZALGO was easily Satan himself. This wasn’t exactly in line with the demon’s torture anyway. It wasn’t painful in any way, but it was definitely annoying. Speaking of which, he glanced up after seeing something flit out of the corner of his eye. That definitely made him feel uneasy as he quickly got to his feet. He decided he simply could not stay where he was. He cursed slightly as he instead tried going back to the wagon. He was not surprised when he was easily able to move back to the wagon, but when he tried walking backward, he made no progress. He saw another shadow and turned quickly hoping to catch it, but instead flinched a lot harder than he would like to admit when something tugged on his sweater. He turned and this was when he saw the vague form of a child as a shadow. He quickly leapt out of reach of the creature, which seemed to beckon toward him. Jeff may not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, but even he knew better than to follow this thing. The thing kept signaling him and Jeff backed away instead. This time he bumped into a slightly larger shadow and he realized there were a lot more than just the one. He cursed when it seemed they were able to grab him. He cursed and tried to lash out with the knife, but it just went through them. He stared at the knife in confusion before he hit his own forehead. Obviously the knife wouldn’t work if they were nothing more than shadow. That didn’t explain how they could so easily grab him. As he thought that, the larger creature grabbed him by his hoodie and dragged him backward suddenly. He lost his balance and fell, which allowed the creature to begin dragging him. He cursed as he was unable to break free, but it was as he rolled onto his stomach he realized they were making genuine progress toward the entrance. Jeff dug his palms into the dirt and this time the shadow dropped him as it allowed him to get to his feet. Jeff tried taking more steps toward the entrance, but found he himself made no progress. The shadows moved forward, but he could not. The smaller shadow suddenly moved toward him and it held out what appeared to be a limb. Jeff took the limb and he took a couple of steps forward and he was glad to see he was actually moving forward. The shadows continued to lead him toward the entrance and it appeared to be approaching quickly. The shadows seemingly hastened their pace and Jeff was forced to sprint so he could hold onto the limb. They came to a sudden stop and Jeff accidentally crashed into something. He stumbled back and rubbed at his face before his hand automatically grabbed his knife again.

“Where do you think you’re going Jeffy?” the clown asked him.

“I-I was looking for you” Jeff lied.

“You were awfully close to leaving, Jeffy” the clown responded.

“Well, I didn’t know where you were” Jeff told him.

“You seem to have known I wasn’t here though. Pretty astute there, Jeffy. Even smarter of you to ask the shadows” LJ told him.

“I didn’t though. The stupid things just grabbed me” Jeff told him.

That hadn’t been a lie. He had not been expecting the damn things to be able to touch him. He got a better look at the clown, who appeared to be a guy. Jeff realized that the clown had some gray staining the white portions of his clothes including the bandages on his hands. Come to think of it, Jeff noticed rather sharp claws and made a mental note to not let the clown touch him. Another mental note he made was that he was almost as tall as Slenderman. He had a cone nose as well.

“If you’re a clown, why do you have a cone nose?” Jeff asked.

The clown let out a laugh.

“What a breath of fresh air. No one’s asked that before, but I think it’s a lot better for slapstick, wouldn’t you say?” the clown told him.

As he said this, the clown was able to push the nose completely flat against his face before he released it and it was once again a cone. Jeff could not say this made him feel any less nervous. He flinched when the clown suddenly disappeared from view and reappeared behind him. He shuddered upon feeling the clawed hands digging into his biceps slightly as he was immediately mindful of the claws, which were already breaking his no touching decision. Jeff was also getting the faint scent of what he had already been suspicious was blood.

“You healed pretty quickly there, Jeffy. I could poke a claw right through your shoulder when I first brought you here. What are you?” LJ asked him.

The clown’s hands suddenly squeezed his shoulders and Jeff silently hoped the clown did not feel his pulse speed up when he did that, but he did. Fortunately, the clown took this as a sign he was potentially freaking out the killer and let go of him.

“Human. What the hell are you?” Jeff asked.

He had turned to face the clown. The clown’s eyebrows were knitted together almost as if he was confused before the look left his face and he instead smiled at Jeff. Sharp teeth were now also on Jeff’s list of things to stay away from.

“A clown silly” LJ told him.

“Don’t play stupid” Jeff told him.

“I’m not” LJ told him.

“If Slender threatened to strangle me because of you that’s obviously a lie” Jeff told him.

The clown leaned forward and easily invaded Jeff’s space.

“Oh, and what did this, Slender, say about me, hmm?” LJ asked him.

Jeff felt goosebumps form this time and he took a step back. He wished Smile Dog were here right now, but he remembered what happened and he felt his body go cold.

“Maybe we should go back to the wagon. So we can warm you up. You’re getting a little pale there, Jeffy” LJ told him.


	9. To The Wolves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry once again for falling way behind in updating, but my four classes are running me ragged. Here's the chapter and I hope y'all enjoy.

Jeff was at a loss for words as the clown had wrapped him up in several blankets and sat him on the couch. The temperature in the room had also seemingly gone up and Jeff, while not hot, was certainly starting to feel warm. Especially when the clown had bent over him to tuck him into the couch and Jeff wanted to resist, but he thought better of it when the clown’s claws got dangerously close to his throat. He disappeared behind the door in the back again and Jeff wiggled on the couch, but the clown quickly returned. Upon noticing that the killer’s blanket had been moved, he once again tucked Jeff in. The clown had brought with him a jar that was seemingly filled with lollipops, which Jeff quickly decided he would refuse if offered. The lights were somewhat dimmed and the room turned a deep red color, which made Jeff feel uneasy, especially because his body was constricted. Sure enough, the jar was opened and a dark blue lollipop was pointed in his direction.

“No thank you,” Jeff told him.

“I insist. I want to make sure my little Jeffy is as comfortable as possible especially after freeing me,” LJ told him.

Before Jeff could protest, the lollipop was shoved in his mouth, but Jeff quickly spit it out. LJ frowned as he caught it, but popped it in his own mouth. Jeff felt his face burn upon seeing that, but the clown didn’t seem to care.

“It’s bad luck to waste candy, Jeffy,” LJ told him.

“I’m not eating anything you give me especially after last time,” Jeff told him.

LJ gasped dramatically and placed his hand to his own chest.

“Why Jeffy, that was for your own good. Besides, your recovery was a lot quicker wasn’t it?” LJ asked him.

“I guess? Look, I don’t usually take too long to get better anyway,” Jeff told him.

The clown seemingly ignored him and Jeff heard the crunch of the lollipop as the clown’s teeth made easy work of the candy. Jeff was watching the clown intently now. He was unsure what the clown was going to do with him and that made him uneasy. The others had been simple enough to decode. They wanted to kill him unlike the clown, who seemed content in coddling Jeff almost as if he was a small child. He remembered the clown’s earlier interest in what Slenderman had told him and he thought that was his best chance of leaving.

“You wanted to know what Slenderman said about you, right?” Jeff asked him.

“Course I do, silly. How about this, if you tell me the truth like the good boy I know you are, I’ll let you go,” LJ told him.

The clown had seemingly read his mind, but the problem laid in that which Slenderman had told him. Up until the night of the fight, Jeff had been completely oblivious to what he might have been releasing. Even now as he was staring at LJ, he was completely unsure of the events he had set in motion.

“Well, he didn’t say much, y’know. I think he was confused too. No one knew what you were until I set you free. He thought you were dangerous and that I’d doomed us all,” Jeff told him.

“Oh Jeffy, do I look dangerous?” LJ asked him.

Jeff glanced at him and he saw the slightest hint of a frown on the clown’s lips. The clown was closely examining his own hands while his eyebrows furrowed; Jeff smiled at the sight of the clown’s own retrospection before he answered his own question.

“Forget I asked that, but if I was dangerous I would’ve hurt you already, Jeffy,” LJ told him.

“I don’t think he knows much about you. He had been searching for you, but couldn’t find you. And I found you by accident. ZALGO seemed to know I had you,” Jeff told him.

“That’s odd. Why would he know that?” LJ asked him.

“That’s because I tried to join him a while back. I guess the others are watching,” Jeff told him.

“Did you find me for him?” LJ asked him.

“No, I found you by accident. Pay attention,” Jeff told him.

The clown suddenly stood up and Jeff held his breath as he stood over him, which from the angle Jeff was on the couch caused LJ to tower over him menacingly. The clown bent down and Jeff wondered briefly if he had overstepped a boundary with that last comment. He wouldn’t be surprised if the clown decided not to release him and instead kill him where he laid. He was surprised when LJ’s clawed hands set to unraveling the blankets and he was soon free. The clown gave him his hand to help him up, which Jeff took tentatively. LJ quickly pulled him up on his feet leading to an awkward moment where the two were face to face, but LJ quickly led them to the door. They stepped outside and LJ began to lead the way to the edge of the carnival. When they got to the point where Jeff had gotten stuck before, the clown grabbed Jeff’s hand, which caused Jeff to pull his hand away immediately.

“C’mon Jeffy, I won’t bite. Besides, that’s the only way to get out of here,” LJ told him.

Jeff doubted that was the only way to get out of the carnival, but he reluctantly took the clown’s hand. He was particularly focused on the feel of the claws against his skin, but he found there wasn’t much time to ponder this as they got to the entrance pretty quickly. The clown let go of his hand then as Jeff stepped past the threshold of the gate; he could feel LJ’s gaze on him as he stepped into the unknown wilderness.

“Be careful, Jeffy. I don’t think you’ve heard the last of Slenderman or the dog,” LJ called to him.

Jeff did not respond and when he glanced back the carnival was gone. He breathed a sigh and glanced around as he decided to try and figure out where he was.

_**Meanwhile** _

Jason headed to ZALGO’s throne room alone although he couldn’t understand why. The failure to capture Laughing Jack had been equally divided by the three of them. He couldn’t understand why Lord ZALGO had been unable to capture the clown when he had been dealing with him personally. ZALGO’s powers were easily enough to overpower them, why couldn’t he grab the clown? He pushed open the door to the throne room and ZALGO was seemingly petting one of his beloved shadows. The creature quickly melted into the background with the others and it was then the demon regarded Jason.

“You wanted to speak to me my Lord?” Jason asked him.

“Due to your stupidity, Laughing Jack slipped through our fingers,” ZALGO told him.

“Laughing Jack got a hold of Candypop’s mallet, not my mice,” Jason responded.

“Yes, but if it weren’t for the confusion caused by your smokescreen I may have been able to capture him myself. Candypop’s mallet was not used against me, but against Slender, so he is not where the problem lies,” ZALGO responded.

Jason stared at the demon, but was at a complete loss for words.

“What can I expect though? You’re both out of practice,” ZALGO smiled.

“Both?” Jason asked.

Jason swallowed as the large shadow from earlier manifested right beside the demon. It settled what appeared to be its head on the demon’s outstretched hand and Jason heard a deep rumble reminiscent of a purr.

“Servants become complacent without any feedback,” ZALGO concluded.

Jason’s eyes widened as he realized what the demon meant and the shadow suddenly lunged for Jason, who was unable to do much more than raise his arms in defense against the attack.


	10. Wolf In Sheep's Clothing?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter update, but hooray I actually updated. Kudos and comment appreciated, but not required.

Laughing Jack frowned as he walked through the woods. He had been successful in completing his task. The blood on his claws was proof of that, but the tear in his sleeve was a symbol of his carelessness. A symbol of his being out of practice and was nothing more than a sign of his own arrogance. He glared at his claws then because he knew arrogance was more than enough to get him into trouble. The blood staining his clothes was also a symbol of his recklessness as he was used to getting away without a speck of blood on his clothing, which was difficult considering the white portions of his clothing. He could hear a creek somewhere in the distance so he headed toward the sound of running water in the hopes of getting the blood off before it left a permanent stain. It was as he walked that he felt as if someone was watching him. His guard was immediately up and he was about to summon his carnival when an anxious voice spoke up. He turned quickly, ready to pounce if need be, but stopped upon hearing bells jingle. He kept his gaze on Candypop as the male neared him.

“Jacky,” Candypop called.

The jester continued his walk forward and did not stop until he was a few feet away from the clown. His approach did become more cautious upon seeing the blood on LJ, but still he did not stop. He came close enough that LJ could grab him if he wanted to, but LJ ignored that thought as he instead glared at him.

“What do you want?” LJ asked him.

“Nothing. I just wanted to know what you were planning,” Candypop told him.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that? You were the ones siding with ZALGO. You were the ones to come after me. I should be asking you what you’re planning,” LJ told him.

“Jacky, you don’t understand. ZALGO would have killed me if I didn’t cooperate,” Candypop responded.

“And you think I won’t? You left me in that box, Pop. I should have broken the stupid mallet that night when I had it, but I’m sure ZALGO’s already more than punished you for that,” LJ told him.

“Lord ZALGO is why I’m here, Jacky. Things have changed since you’ve been gone and Jason’s gone missing,” Candypop told him.

LJ made a soft clicking noise with his tongue that made Candypop glance up at him.

“How do you even know that, hm? It’s too early to tell isn’t it?” LJ told him.

The clown took a couple of steps toward the jester, but Candypop didn’t seem concerned by this at all.

“He was supposed to meet up with me after his meeting with Lord ZALGO, but he didn’t show,” Candypop told him.

“So he stood you up? What do you want me to do about it? Prank him? Find who he ditched you for?” LJ asked him.

The clown smiled slightly at that, which made Candypop feel more at ease.

“Jack, he ditched me for Lord ZALGO,” Candypop told him.

“What do you mean?” the clown asked.

LJ’s face became entirely dumbfounded then and he made no attempt at hiding the surprise on his face.

“I mean that Lord ZALGO is the one behind this. He’s been behind the others as well, but I don’t understand this one. Jason was his right hand man. Lord ZALGO could get him to do anything. I don’t know why he’d just get rid of him,” Candypop told him.

The clown’s dumbfounded expression soon became a cheerful one as he grabbed Candypop by the chin and magenta eyes met silver ones.

“I’ll see what I can do,” LJ told him.

He let go of Candypop abruptly and it was then the jester was aware of the metallic scent and wet feeling that the clown’s hands had given him. He grimaced as he wiped the blood left behind.

“Besides, I need to see what damage has been done before moving forward,” LJ told him.

“So, Lord ZALGO is a part of your plan?” Candypop asked him.

“Poppy, if it weren’t for ZALGO there would be no plan. I need to figure a few things out. In the meantime, I need you to tell me what you know about the dog and the tall man,” LJ told him.

Candypop looked at him then.

“Why? It’s Lord ZALGO you’re after,” Candypop responded.

“Well, they were after me too, to be fair. You don’t have to. I can probably find out myself,” LJ told him.

The clown glanced at his claws then and appeared rather disinterested with the conversation.

“I don’t know much. We’ve only been working with them since the others began to disappear,” Candypop responded.

“You’ve been working with both of them? Poppy, y’know that’s dangerous. Do you know what ZALGO would do to you if he found out?” LJ told him.

“No, and I don’t plan on finding out. Part of the agreement is that they can’t oust us to Lord ZALGO on the condition we report abnormal behavior to them,” Candypop told him.

“What’s abnormal?” LJ asked him.

“Take Jeff for example. When he first started talking to Lord ZALGO, Candypop and I reported this to Slenderman. He told us to keep a close eye on him, which is why he knew exactly where to find the two of you,” Candypop told him.

“Why would they care who Jeff decided to follow?” LJ asked him.

“Because Jeff used to live in the mansion with them. They were worried Jeff was going to let something important slip to Lord ZALGO,” Candypop told him.

“He doesn’t seem the type. After all, he had the opportunity to hand me over and save himself, but he chose to set me free,” LJ told him.

“Yeah, Smile Dog didn’t think so either and I guess Slenderman underestimated Jeff because you’re not with Lord ZALGO right now,” Candypop told him.

“That’s likely made him their target though. Setting me free. We should find him before they attack him again. I don’t think he’s strong enough to fight them both off,” LJ said.

“I thought he was with you?” Candypop asked him.

“No, I let him go. An eye for an eye. He set me free so I set him free,” LJ told him.

“Maybe if we start where you left him. He can’t have gone too far. He’s mortal after all,” Candypop told him.

LJ nodded and whatever he may have been planning on doing was now the farthest thing from his mind as he instead teleported them to where he had last left Jeff.


	11. Ambush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First update of the year, I'm going to do my best to update more often so we can finally get to the finale. Let's get this year started right lol

Jeff wasn’t sure where Slenderman even was as he stood in the woods with his knife up. The only thing Jeff had learned from the first time was that the bastard’s tentacles could easily sneak up behind him. The tall man suddenly appeared beside him and hit him causing him to stumble to the side. He could taste blood in his mouth as he stumbled back to his feet, but the tall man was waiting for him. This time when Slenderman hit him, he fell to the ground. His knife fell out of his hands as his arms automatically reacted to falling. He could feel his eyes stinging and he wasn’t sure if it was because of the dirt or the lump in his throat.

“I didn’t mean for either of you to get hurt,” Jeff snarled angrily.

_Then what was it you were intending? This wouldn’t be the first time you’ve lied to me_

Jeff slowly got back to his feet because he was waiting for Slenderman to strike him back down.

“I already told you I didn’t fucking know what was in the box. And I didn’t tell him shit about you or Smile Dog,” Jeff snapped at him.

_I know you were talking to ZALGO, Jeff_

“And? I told the sonofabitch no. When he asked about the both of you I said no. He was beating the shit out of me too the day I set Jack free,” Jeff snapped at him.

Jeff felt one of the tentacles wrap up around his hair and he was roughly dragged back down to the ground. Jeff gave a slight groan as his head collided with the ground. The tentacles quickly held Jeff down flat against the ground and he could feel them constricting him.

_I warned Smile Dog you were a liability from the very beginning. I won’t let you jeopardize the others any further_

Jeff gasped as the tentacles easily knocked the wind from his lungs as they began to contract.

“Jack!” Candypop yelled.

Slenderman’s tentacles quickly abandoned Jeff as he instead moved into a more defensive position. Laughing Jack only laughed as he saw the tall man do this, but he brandished his claws regardless. Candypop had rushed to Jeff’s side as the killer gasped and choked.

“I wouldn’t think of it,” LJ told him.

Before Slenderman could respond, they were both surprised by the blade that was now glinting from LJ’s chest. Slenderman watched at an utter loss for words as the clown did not so much as flinch at being impaled. His expression was of confusion not horror. He turned quickly to face Jeff, who had been the one to stab him. Jeff was also standing back now as the knife remained in LJ’s back. LJ recognized the look of surprise in Jeff’s eyes.

“I-I didn’t ask for you to do this,” Jeff yelled at him.

“Course you didn’t, Jeffy. He made me do this,” LJ responded.

The tentacles shot at LJ and the clown was silent as they wrapped around his waist, arms and throat, but unlike Jeff he used this to his advantage. The knife went in deeper, but LJ was not worried about it. He used the tentacles to smash Slenderman into a tree. 

“You thought that’d work on me? I thought you’d learned your lesson,” LJ snapped.

He walked over to where Slenderman had hit the tree and picked him up by the collar of his suit. He raised his arm in the air, but it quickly contorted behind him as he pulled the knife from his back. The knife was brought to Slenderman’s face and the tall man attempted to move, but he felt as if something were holding him down.

“Jack, let him go” Jeff yelled at him.

LJ glanced over at the killer and he dropped Slenderman completely.

“You should be grateful he’s told me to leave you alone,” LJ snapped at him.

LJ stood up and headed to where Candypop was standing with Jeff. The knife was handed back to its owner and LJ snapped his fingers, which led to Candypop picking Jeff up in his arms. LJ quickly teleported and Candypop followed him.

Jeff was quiet as he was carried by Candypop. His gaze was on the clown leading the way because he could see the gash his knife had caused was dripping something white. The clown glanced back suddenly and Jeff felt his face turn pink as the clown completely stopped in his tracks. When Candypop stopped beside him, the clown easily grabbed him by the chin and made him look at him. LJ turned Jeff’s head from side to side before letting go of him.

“It’s only gonna bruise. You seem to be a magnet for people like Slender, dontcha?” LJ asked him.

“They seem to be the only people attracted to me,” Jeff told him.

“Well, aren’t you lucky that I am too. Poppy, why don’t you set him down on this rock so I can get a good look at him,” LJ told them.

Jeff felt his face burn even warmer as Candypop set him down on a rather large boulder. The area was dark, but Jeff was certain the clown could see fairly well in the dark. His silver eyes were almost glowing in the darkness.

“Jack, I think I should be getting back to ZALGO before he gets suspicious,” Candypop told him.

“I think you’re absolutely right. I can handle Jeffy from here. I’ll find you when I find something, okay?” LJ told Candypop.

“Right, of course, be careful. I heard ZALGO’s got very specific orders out right now and word is he’s looking for you,” Candypop told him.

“I’m not surprised, but I can more than handle them. I’d be in trouble if it were ZALGO himself,” LJ scoffed.

Candypop nodded and he began to walk away, but as he did so Laughing Jack was aware the jester had stopped to look at him a final time before walking away. Jeff had noticed that too.

“I think we should go. What if Candypop tells ZALGO where you are,” Jeff told him.

“That’s a great idea, Jeffy. Then you can get some rest,” LJ told him.

He was swiftly picked up and this time Jeff complained about his legs working, but his pleas were ignored as LJ quickly took them to his carnival. Jeff was more observant this time around, but LJ walked quickly. Jeff glanced over the clown’s shoulder and noticed that the shadows of the children peeked out from several corners and booths. They were following them, but they stopped when they got to the wagon. LJ quickly shut the door behind them before he was set down on the same couch he had woken up on. The oil lamps in the wagon lit almost immediately and the clown was immediately bent down in front of him. His knife was on the small counter beside the couch, but LJ didn’t seem too concerned about it. It was as LJ was looking Jeff over that the clown realized that Jeff was not interested in his own body as much as he was his. Jeff’s gaze was immediately traced back to the tear in the middle of his chest, but before LJ could cover it Jeff touched him. He froze and could swear he felt something in the pit of his stomach as the killer’s fingers dipped in slightly. Jeff felt something fuzzy and he grasped it before tugging on it. The clown made a soft noise in the back of his throat as Jeff pulled stuffing from his chest. He grabbed Jeff’s hand quickly and the killer was surprised by the firm grasp.

“What are you?” Jeff asked.

“A toy. Or so I’ve been told,” LJ responded.

LJ’s gaze shot up momentarily and his eyes met Jeff’s. He felt that nagging pull at the pit of his stomach, but he ignored it as he instead broke their eye contact. There was something unnerving in Jeff’s eyes that made LJ want to avoid them. They seemed familiar yet foreign.

“So, like a teddy bear?” Jeff asked him.

“No, Jeffy, not like a teddy bear. More like a doll,” LJ told him.

“So, like a sock monkey?” Jeff told him.

LJ laughed at that before he stood up and instead sat on the couch across from Jeff. Jeff watched as LJ pushed the stuffing back inside his chest.

“You’ve already started healing, but Jeffy, I don’t think it’s such a good idea to leave you alone. Slenderman’s going to be pissed if he finds you again,” LJ told him.

“How did you find me?” Jeff asked him.

“Easy, I told the children to find you. They seem to like you, but I think they don’t know you,” LJ told him.

“They wouldn’t try to find me if they did,” Jeff sighed.


	12. Haunted & Unwanted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I have a couple of ideas for the next chapter and I'm already working on it. I know I disappeared again, but the story isn't over. I just needed to get inspired and NateWantsToBattle did the job. A little shorter than usual, but hey, it's an update night so yay!

**_Undisclosed Location ___**

Jason had lost track of how long he had been in the dimly lit room, but it was long enough to make his skin crawl. The small crack through which light was able to get through was not an indicator of an exit. He had initially expected that wall to have a door, which would explain the small sliver of light that managed to enter the room, but his search proved fruitless. The stupid shadow had stripped him of his weapons and had even managed to tear through some of his stuffed animals. The remnants of the toys had stuck to the wounds the shadow had inflicted. He had cleaned himself up almost immediately upon being dumped in the room, but he was now worried about what Candypop’s fate had been. He had been there the night that they failed to get the box from Jeff, but it appeared he had not suffered the same fate. He had seen ZALGO furious before, but never so angry that he had locked him away for this long. Jason growled as he once again heard a muffled noise from outside the box. He punched the wall, half hoping someone came to see what the noise was, but was fully aware that if ZALGO were outside he’d likely be punished for it. When there was no response, Jason simply threw his head back against the wall and laughed. His thoughts went immediately to Jeff, who was the reason he was in there in the first place. If the idiot hadn’t set the clown free, they would have captured him easily. He wasn’t certain what ZALGO would have him do once he was free, but he knew Jeff was at the top of his list.

**_Meanwhile_ **

Jeff had lost track of how long he’d been with the clown in the carnival, but he figured it had been at least a couple of days. His ribs were feeling better, but he still felt bruised. LJ would come and go periodically and when he did it was often to bother Jeff’s wounds. It was now, as LJ was carefully squeezing up his sides, that Jeff made a noise in the back of his throat that caused LJ’s hands to pull away abruptly.

“If you keep messing with it then it won’t heal,” Jeff told him.

“It definitely won’t if you keep running into Slenderman,” LJ told him.

“That’s your fault,” Jeff snapped at him.

Jeff flinched as LJ’s claws suddenly prodded him.

“Watch it with those damn things,” Jeff told him.

LJ only smiled as he straightened up.

“I guess you’re right. In that case, maybe I should help fix that,” LJ told him.

“What? Follow me around until Slender shows up and you beat the crap out of him?” Jeff told him.

“Don’t be silly. Even if I did, I can’t touch him,” LJ told him.

“Bullshit. What about the first time?” Jeff asked him.

“No one tried to stop me, then,” LJ told him.

Jeff felt his face burn as he remembered telling the clown to let Slenderman go. The clown’s gaze was fixed on Jeff, but the killer quickly realized the clown seemed to be staring right through him; almost as if lost in thought. Jeff glanced behind himself, but saw nothing that might have caught LJ’s attention. LJ seemed to have snapped out of it when he turned back to glance at him.

“What?” Jeff asked.

“I could give you a few pointers, you know. I’ve seen you hesitate when it comes to Slenderman and the dog,” LJ told him.

Jeff went silent at that, but knew LJ was right. Even when Smile Dog attacked him, he had only warned the dog. Jeff hadn’t actually even hurt him. He had thrown his knife sure, but didn't hurt Smile Dog. Jeff had been the one that was wounded. Jeff had learned about controlling his temperament a long time ago and the only reason he had learned to hesitate was because he would get into arguments with Smile Dog. His hand would always reach for his knife, which was such an automatic reaction that he did it unwittingly. This would only serve to aggravate situations because others would assume he was about to attack them, which he often did.

“It’s complicated. They’re all I’ve got left even if Slender tries to beat the shit out of me everytime he sees me,” Jeff told him.

“I don’t think he quite thinks of you in that same regard, Jeffy. Either of them, frankly. They both attacked you and Slenderman even tried to kill you. You may hesitate, but they sure don’t,” LJ told him.

“I deserved it though. I should have listened to them and...” Jeff trailed off.

LJ went silent at that and the tension in the room was palpable. The clown’s eyes were unreadable, but Jeff guessed that was for the best since he seemed to have struck a nerve. 

“And what? Left me in the box? I’m not going back there. I’m not just a toy that can be picked up and thrown away like nothing. You’re not either. Actions have consequences and I think it’s about time you reminded them of that,” LJ told him.

Jeff swallowed as any semblance of a smile was gone from the clown’s lips. He wondered briefly if the clown was going to hit him because his hand was stuck out in an exaggerated manner with his claws fully fanned out. LJ seemed to zone out again, but he hastily brought his arm back down against his side. It seemed the clown had also learned some lessons in restraining himself. 

“It’s easier to give in, Jack. Holding back is harder,” Jeff told him.

“You don’t know the half of it,” LJ sighed.

“If it makes you feel better, I don’t think you’re a toy. A pin cushion maybe, but not a toy. You were strong enough to fight ZALGO back in the woods. I think you have more willpower than you think,” Jeff told him.

The clown looked at him, but he didn’t say anything. LJ sat down instead and let his arms hang down between his legs as he instead stared at the ground. Jeff stood up, but the clown didn’t move or acknowledge the killer’s movement. Jeff placed his hand on LJ’s shoulder and he felt the softness of the feathered shoulder pads under his fingers. This was the first time he had dared touch the clown himself. The other times they had touched had been completely up to LJ. Jeff decided to immediately try and implement what the clown had told him about hesitation. He did not stop to think of the consequence this could potentially bring if LJ was truly upset with him.

“I think we could both use a few lessons on following through, don’t you?” Jeff asked him.

LJ laughed slightly and he glanced up then. Jeff could swear that he saw the clown’s eyes glint blue for a moment, but it was quickly gone.

“You’re absolutely right, Jeffy. After all, how will you learn about follow through without your test dummy,” LJ smiled at him.


End file.
